M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Ishmael Is Born
16 Sarai, Abram’s wife, had no children, but she had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar. 2 Sarai said to Abram, “Look, the Lord has ·not allowed me to have [L prevented/restrained me from having] children, so ·have sexual relations with [L go to] my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can ·have my own family [reproduce; have a child; L build] through her [C taking a second wife or concubine was common for a childless couple at the time].”
Abram did what Sarai said. 3 It was after he had lived ten years in Canaan that Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram as a ·wife [or concubine]. (Hagar was her slave girl from Egypt.)
4 Abram ·had sexual relations with [L went in to] Hagar, and she ·became pregnant [conceived]. When Hagar learned she ·was pregnant [conceived], she began to ·treat [look on] her mistress Sarai ·badly [with contempt]. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “·This is your fault [L May the wrong/violence done to me be on you]. I gave my slave girl ·to you [into your embrace; L into your lap], and when she ·became pregnant [L conceived], she began to ·treat [look on] me ·badly [with contempt]. Let the Lord ·decide who is right—[judge between] you or me.”
6 But Abram said to Sarai, “·You are Hagar’s mistress [L Your slave girl is in your hand/power]. Do ·anything you want [L what is good in your eyes] to her.” Then Sarai ·was hard on [afflicted; abused] Hagar, and Hagar ·ran away [L fled from her presence].
7 The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [C the angel of the Lord was either a representative of the Lord or the Lord himself; v. 13; Judg. 6:11, 14] found Hagar beside a spring of water in the ·desert [wilderness], by the road to Shur [C likely a location in southern Canaan; 20:1; 25:18; Ex. 15:22; 1 Sam. 15:7]. 8 ·The angel [L He] said, “Hagar, Sarai’s slave girl, where have you come from? Where are you going?”
Hagar answered, “I am ·running away [fleeing] from my mistress Sarai.”
9 The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [16:7] said to her, “Go home to your mistress and ·obey [submit to] her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said, “I will ·give you so many descendants [L greatly multiply your seed so that] they cannot be counted.”
11 The ·angel [messenger] added,
“You ·are now pregnant [have conceived],
and you will ·have [L give birth to] a son.
You will name him Ishmael [C sounds like the verb “to hear”],
because the Lord has heard ·your cries [L of your affliction].
12 Ishmael will be ·like a wild donkey [L a wild donkey/ass of a man].
·He [L His hand] will be against everyone,
and ·everyone [L everyone’s hand] will be against him.
He will ·attack [L dwell against] all his brothers.”
13 The slave girl gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are ‘·God who sees me [or God of seeing; Hebrew El-Roi]’ ” because she said to herself, “Have I really seen God who sees me?” 14 So the well there, between Kadesh [C also known as Kadesh Barnea in northeast Sinai] and Bered [C location unknown], was called Beer Lahai Roi [C the well of the Living One who sees me].
15 Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram, and Abram named ·him [L his son which Hagar bore him] Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.
Obey God’s Law(A)
15 Then some Pharisees and ·teachers of the law [scribes] came to Jesus from Jerusalem. They asked him, 2 “Why don’t your ·followers [disciples] obey the ·unwritten laws which have been handed down to us [L traditions of the elders]? [L For] They don’t wash their hands before they eat [C a Jewish ritual for ceremonial purity].”
3 Jesus answered, “And why do you ·refuse to obey [break; violate] God’s command ·so that you can follow your own teachings [L for the sake of your traditions]? 4 God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother [Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16],’ and ‘Anyone who ·says cruel things to [speaks evil of; curses] his father or mother must be put to death [Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9].’ 5 But you say a person can tell his father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you, but I have ·given [dedicated; devoted] it to God already [C a practice known as Corban; see Mark 7:10–12].’ 6 You teach that person ·not to [that he need not] honor his father or his mother. You ·rejected [invalidated; canceled; nullified] ·what God said [L the word of God] for the sake of your own ·rules [tradition]. 7 You are hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he ·said [L prophesied] about you:
8 ‘These people show honor to me with ·words [L their lips],
but their hearts are far from me.
9 Their worship of me is ·worthless [futile; in vain].
The things [doctrines] they teach are nothing but human ·rules [commandments; Is. 29:13].’”
10 After Jesus called the crowd to him, he said, “Listen and ·understand what I am saying [try to understand]. 11 It is not what ·people put into their mouths [L goes into the mouth] that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles the person]. It is what comes out of their mouths that ·makes them unclean [pollutes/defiles the person].”
12 Then his ·followers [disciples] came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees are ·angry [offended; shocked] because of what you said?”
13 Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven has not planted himself will be pulled up by the roots. 14 ·Stay away from the Pharisees [L Leave/Ignore them]; they are blind ·leaders [guides].[a] And if a blind person ·leads [guides] a blind person, both will fall into a ·ditch [pit; hole].”
15 Peter said, “Explain the ·example [parable] to us.”
16 Jesus said, “·Do you still not understand [L Are you still so dull/foolish]? 17 ·Surely you know [L Don’t you know…?] that all the food that enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then goes ·out of the body [L into the sewer/latrine].” 18 But ·what people say with their mouths [L the things that come out of the mouth] comes from the ·way they think [L the heart]; these are the things that ·make people unclean [pollute/defiled a person]. 19 [L For] Out of the ·mind [heart] come evil ·thoughts [intentions; ideas], murder, adultery, sexual sins, stealing, ·lying [false witness/testimony], and ·speaking evil of others [slander; blasphemy]. 20 These things make people ·unclean [polluted; defiled]; eating with unwashed hands does not make them ·unclean [polluted; defiled].”
Jesus Helps a Gentile Woman(B)
21 Jesus left that place and went to the ·area [district; region] of Tyre and Sidon [C cities on the coast north of Israel]. 22 A ·Canaanite [C a non-Jewish (Gentile) resident of Palestine (Canaan was the ancient name for Palestine)] woman from that area came to Jesus and cried out, “Lord, Son of David [C a title for the Messiah], have mercy on me! My daughter ·has a demon, and she is suffering very much [is tormented; L is severely demon-possessed].”
23 But Jesus did not ·answer the woman [L answer her a word]. So his ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and ·begged [asked; urged] him, “Tell the woman to go away. [L Because] She is following us and ·shouting [crying out].”
24 Jesus answered, “·God sent me [L I was sent] only to the lost sheep, the ·people [L house] of Israel.”
25 Then the woman came to Jesus again and bowed before him and said, “Lord, help me!”
26 Jesus answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and ·give [throw] it to the dogs.” [C “Children” refers to Israel; “dogs” to the Gentiles.]
27 The woman said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered, “[L O] Woman, you have great faith! ·I will do what you asked [L Let it be done for you as you wish].” And ·at that moment [L from that hour] the woman’s daughter was healed.
Jesus Heals Many People(C)
29 After leaving there, Jesus went along ·the shore of Lake Galilee [T the Sea of Galilee]. He went up on ·a hill [or the mountain] and sat there.
30 Great crowds came to Jesus, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, ·those who could not speak [the mute/deaf; C the word can refer to speech or hearing; v. 31 suggests it here means “mute”], and many others. They ·put [laid] them at Jesus’ feet, and he healed them. 31 The crowd was ·amazed [astonished; marveled] when they saw that ·people who could not speak before [the mute/deaf] were now able to speak. The crippled were ·made strong [well; whole]. The lame could walk, and the blind could see. And they ·praised [glorified] the God of Israel for this.
More than Four Thousand Fed(D)
32 Jesus called his ·followers [disciples] to him and said, “I ·feel sorry [have compassion] for these people, because they have already been with me three days, and they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry. They might ·faint [collapse] while going home.”
33 His ·followers [disciples] asked him, “·How [L From where] can we get enough bread in this ·remote place [desolate place; desert] to feed ·all these people [L so great a crowd]?”
34 Jesus asked, “How many loaves of bread do you have?”
They answered, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
35 Jesus told the people to ·sit [recline] on the ground. 36 He took the seven loaves of bread and the fish and gave thanks to God. Then he ·divided the food [L broke them] and gave it to his ·followers [disciples], and they gave it to the people. 37 All the people ate and were satisfied. Then his ·followers [disciples] filled seven ·baskets [large baskets; C a different word than in the feeding of the five thousand; 14:20] with the leftover pieces of food. 38 There were about four thousand men there who ate, besides women and children. 39 After ·sending the people home [dismissing the crowds], Jesus got into the boat and went to the ·area [region] of Magadan [C an unknown place, probably on the western shore of Lake Galilee; perhaps Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene].
Nehemiah Helps Poor People
5 The men and their wives ·complained [cried out] loudly against their ·fellow Jews [L Jewish brothers]. 2 Some of them were saying, “We have many sons and daughters in our families. To eat and stay alive, we need grain [C This group may have owned no land that could provide them food.].”
3 Others were saying, “We are ·borrowing money [mortgaging; C from their fellow Jews, which increased their frustration] against our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain ·because there is not much food [during the famine].”
4 And still others were saying, “We are borrowing money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 ·We are just like our fellow Jews [L Our flesh is like our brothers’ flesh], and our ·sons [children] are like their ·sons [children]. But we have to sell our sons and daughters ·as slaves [into bondage/slavery; C an often temporary servitude to satisfy debts; Ex. 21:2–11]. Some of our daughters have already been ·sold [enslaved]. But ·there is nothing we can do [we are powerless/helpless], because our fields and vineyards already belong to other people.”
6 When I heard their ·complaints about these things [L outcry and these words], I was very angry. 7 After ·I thought about [reflecting on] it, I ·accused [reprimanded] the ·important people [nobles] and ·leaders [officials], “You are ·charging your own ·brothers [kinsmen] interest [committing usury; C in these situations, lenders were not to make a profit; Deut. 24:10; Prov. 22:26].” So I called a ·large meeting to deal with [great assembly against] them. 8 I said to them, “·As much as possible [To the best of our ability], we have ·bought freedom for [redeemed] our fellow Jews who had been sold to ·foreigners [L the Gentiles]. Now you are selling your fellow Jews to us [C the creditors were selling their fellow Jews into slavery, requiring Nehemiah and others to buy them back]!” ·The leaders [L They] were ·quiet [silent] and ·had nothing [L couldn’t find a word] to say.
9 Then I said, “What you are doing is not ·right [good]. ·Don’t you fear [L Should you not walk in fear of] God [Prov. 1:7]? Don’t let our ·foreign [Gentile] enemies shame us. 10 I, my ·brothers [colleagues], and my ·men [servants] are lending money and grain to the people. But stop charging them ·for this [interest]. 11 Give back their fields, vineyards, olive trees, and houses ·right now [L this very day]. Also give back the ·extra amount [interest] you charged—·the hundredth part [one percent] of the money, grain, new wine, and oil.”
12 They said, “We will give it back and not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”
Then I called for the priests, and I made the ·important people [nobles] and ·leaders [officials] ·take an oath [swear; vow] to do what they had ·said [promised]. 13 Also I shook out the folds of my ·robe [L bosom] and said, “In this way may God shake out everyone who does not ·keep his [fulfill/L cause to stand this] promise. May God shake him out of his house and ·out of the things that are his [his possessions/property]. Let that person be shaken out and emptied!”
Then the whole ·group [assembly] said, “Amen,” and they praised the Lord. So the people did what they had ·promised [sworn; vowed].
14 I was appointed governor in the land of Judah in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ rule [C 445 bc]. I was governor of Judah for twelve years, until his thirty-second year. During that time neither my ·brothers [colleagues; relatives; or officials] nor I ate the food that was allowed for a governor [C Nehemiah is demonstrating his own selflessness during this time]. 15 But the governors before me [C in contrast] had placed a heavy ·load [burden] on the people. They took ·about one pound [L forty shekels] of silver from each person, along with food and wine. ·The governors’ helpers before me [Their associates/assistants] also ·controlled [oppressed; dominated] the people, but I did not do that, because I feared God [Prov. 1:7]. 16 I ·worked [devoted myself to working] on the wall, as did all my ·men [servants] who were ·gathered [assembled] there. We did not buy any ·fields [land].
17 ·Also [Furthermore], I fed one hundred fifty Jewish people and ·officers [officials] at my table, as well as those who came from the nations around us. 18 This is what was prepared every day: one ox, six ·good [choice] sheep, and birds. And every ten days there were all kinds of wine [in abundance]. But I never demanded the food that was due a governor, because the people were already ·working very hard [carrying a great burden].
19 Remember ·to be kind to me [L for my good], my God, for all I have done for these people.
The Meeting in Jerusalem
15 Then some people came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the Gentile believers [L brothers (and sisters)]: “You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised ·as Moses taught us [L according to the custom of Moses; compare Gen. 17:9–14].” 2 Paul and Barnabas ·were against this teaching and argued [L had no small argument and debate] with them about it. So the church ·decided to send [commissioned; appointed] Paul, Barnabas, and some others to Jerusalem where they could talk more about this disagreement with the apostles and elders.
3 The church ·helped them leave [sent them] on the trip, and they went through the countries of Phoenicia and Samaria, telling all about ·how the other nations had turned to God [L the conversion of the Gentiles]. This made all the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] very ·happy [joyful]. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the apostles, the elders, and the church. They told about everything God had done with them. 5 But some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisee ·group [sect; party; faction] ·came forward [L stood up] and said, “·The Gentile believers [L They] must be circumcised. They must be ·told to obey [ordered to keep] the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this ·problem [matter]. 7 After a long debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “[L Men,] Brothers, you know that in the early days God chose me from among you to preach the ·Good News [Gospel] to the ·nations [Gentiles]. They heard the ·Good News [Gospel] from ·me [L my mouth], and they believed. 8 God, who knows the ·thoughts of everyone [L heart], ·accepted [showed his approval of; L testified for] them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 To God, those people are not different from us. When they believed, he made their hearts ·pure [clean]. 10 So now why are you testing God by putting a ·heavy load around [L yoke on] the necks of the ·Gentile believers [L disciples]? It is a ·load [yoke] that neither we nor our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] were ·able [strong enough] to ·carry [bear]. 11 But we believe that we are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.”
12 Then the whole ·group [assembly] became quiet. They listened to Paul and Barnabas tell about all the [miraculous] signs and ·miracles [wonders] that God did through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James said, “[L Men,] Brothers, listen to me. 14 ·Simon [C Peter; v. 7] has told us how God ·showed his love for [cared for; intervened with; visited] the Gentiles [Acts 10—11]. For the first time he is ·accepting [taking; selecting] from among them a people ·to be his own [L for his name]. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this too [L as it is written]:
16 ‘After these things I will return.
And I will rebuild the tent of David, which has fallen [C either the Davidic dynasty of kings (the “house of David”), or the nation Israel generally].
But I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will ·set it up [restore it].
17 Then ·those people who are left alive [the remnant; L the rest of the people] may ·ask the Lord for help [L seek the Lord],
and the ·other nations [Gentiles] ·that belong to me [L who are called by my name],
says the Lord,
who will make it happen.
18 And these things have been known ·for a long time [from long ago; Amos 9:11–12; C a reference to God’s promise that he would restore the “remnant” of Israel and save the Gentiles].’
19 “So I ·think [conclude; judge] we should not ·bother [trouble; cause trouble for] the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter to them telling them these things: Stay away from food ·that has been offered to idols (which makes it unclean) [L polluted by idols], ·any kind of sexual sin [or prohibited marriages; C the Greek word could mean any sexual sin, or marriages viewed as incestuous by OT law], eating animals that have been strangled [C leaving the blood inside, which the OT law prohibited; Gen. 9:4], and blood [C consuming blood was forbidden in the OT law; Lev. 17:10–12]. 21 They should do these things, because for a long time in every city ·the law of Moses has been taught [L Moses has been preached/proclaimed; C referring to the Torah (the Law)]. And it is still read in the synagogue every Sabbath day.” [C These guidelines were to keep from offending pious Jews in the community and so promote unity in the Church.]
Letter to Gentile Believers
22 The apostles, the elders, and the whole church decided to send some of their men with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. They chose Judas [L called] Barsabbas [1:23] and Silas [15:40; 1 Thess. 1:1], who were ·respected by [or leaders among] the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)]. 23 ·They sent the following letter with them [L Writing by their hand; C an idiom for composing and sending a letter]:
From the apostles and elders, your brothers.
To all the Gentile ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings!
24 We have heard that some of our group have come to you and said things that trouble and ·upset you [unsettle your minds/souls]. But we did not ·tell [instruct; authorize; order] them to do this. 25 We have ·all [unanimously; with one accord] agreed to choose some ·messengers [L men] and send them to you with our ·dear friends [beloved] Barnabas and Paul— 26 people who have ·given [dedicated; or risked] their lives ·to serve [L for the name of] our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 So we are sending Judas and Silas, who will tell you the same things [in person; L through word]. 28 It has pleased the Holy Spirit that you should not have a heavy ·load [burden] to carry, and we agree. You need to do only these things: 29 Stay away from any food that has been ·offered [sacrificed] to idols, eating any animals that have been strangled, and blood, and any kind of sexual sin [see v. 20]. If you stay away from these things, you will do well.
·Good-bye [Best wishes; May you fare well].
30 So they ·left Jerusalem [were sent off/dismissed] and went to Antioch where they gathered the ·church [congregation; assembly] and ·gave them [delivered] the letter. 31 When they read it, they ·were very happy [rejoiced] because of the encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who were ·also [themselves] prophets, said many things to encourage the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] and make them stronger. 33 After some time ·Judas and Silas [L they] were sent off in peace by the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)], and they went back to those who had sent them|, 34 but Silas decided to remain there|.[a]
35 But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch and, along with many others, preached the ·Good News [Gospel] and taught the people the ·message [L word] of the Lord.
Paul and Barnabas Separate
36 After some ·time [days], Paul said to Barnabas, “·We should [Let’s] go back to visit the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] in all those ·towns [or cities] where we preached the ·message [L word] of the Lord [chs. 13—14] and see how they are doing.”
37 Barnabas wanted to take John [L who is called] Mark with them [C John Mark was a cousin of Barnabas; Col. 4:10]. 38 But Paul ·did not think it was a good idea to [or insisted that they should not] take him, since Mark had ·left [deserted] them at Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work [13:13]. 39 Paul and Barnabas had such a ·serious argument [sharp disagreement] about this that they ·separated and went different ways [parted company; L separated from one another]. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus [C an island off the coast of Syria, and the homeland of Barnabas; 4:36; 13:4], 40 but Paul chose Silas [v. 32; 16:37; 2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1] and left. The ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] in Antioch ·put [commended; entrusted] Paul ·into the Lord’s care [L to the grace of the Lord], 41 and he went through Syria and Cilicia, ·giving strength to [building up; encouraging] the churches.
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